A growing number of Americans are trying a hallucinogenic drug called ayahuasca, in a quest for spiritual enlightenment. The plant-based drug has been around for centuries and is traditionally found in the Amazon.

But inside a tiny building, in the middle of a mobile home park in Campbellsville, Kentucky, a church offers the ayahuasca ritual nearly every weekend for visitors from across the country.

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"A lot of what happens, we really can't explain and put into words, there's really no verbiage that accurately describes a ceremony," said Steven Hupp, the self-proclaimed medicine man at Aya Quest.

Hupp was first introduced to ayahuasca while serving time in prison for serial robbery.

"Lifetimes of trauma, being able to deal with it from a different perspective and it's healing, not treatment," said Hupp.

Hupp makes the ayahuasca himself, using plants from Hawaii and South America. The drug is illegal in most of the U.S. But in certain states, including Kentucky, ayahuasca is allowed to be used as a sacrament by registered Native American churches.

The drug is usually consumed as a drink that looks like tea. And every user has a different way of describing its effects.

"When I took my first sip of ahahuasca, all of the questions were answered immediately," said Ron Lindsey, who traveled to Campbellsville from Atlanta.

"Mother ahahuasca, the source, took me down to a dark, suffocating place, seemed like I was 3000 feet below the earth," said Charlie W., from Chicago.

"It's like hearing someone describe their dream. It's all weird and it doesn't make any sense to anybody, and you don't really get anything out of it, but for the individual, it's incredible," said Bethany, from Houston.

One participant said he was an alcoholic until trying ayahuasca. Another said he's no longer addicted to heroin.

"I believe it takes away that want, that desire for it," said Ryan Boatwright, a former heroin addict from Frankfort.

Ayahuasca contains a psychedelic compound called N,N-dimethyltryptamine or DMT, which is classified as a Schedule 1 drug in the U.S., the most dangerous level. LSD, heroin and ecstasy are also on that list. And while users claim spiritual enlightenment, doctors say it can be deadly.

"The problems it could cause are dangerously high temperatures, dangerously high blood pressures, arrhythmias, seizures and death. That's really the bottom line," said Dr. George Bosse, medical director of Kentucky Regional Poison Center.

Consuming ayahuasca can also prompt immediate vomiting or diarrhea.

"I realize many patients may do fine, but on the other hand, I'm aware of all the organ system effects that could be quite problematic," said Bosse.

Despite the risks, a growing number of Americans continue to try ayahuasca, searching for that "a-ha moment."

"For me it was like putting on a pair of prescription glasses and suddenly being able to see, everything in the world looked different," said Bethany.